diary of an artist

With COVID-19 changing the way we do business as artists, it has challenged many to find alternative ways to show and sell their work. I held my first completely online exhibition in May 2020, which has been an interesting experience. I had no idea what to expect, but have been pleasantly surprised by the outcome!

I created a PDF catalogue, videos, and daily social media posts to share images of my paintings and generate interest in the show. I had a handful of sales early on, and lots of positive responses which has been wonderful. Sharing my work with my email list has also hopefully kept me in mind to those who prefer to see the work in person when they are allowed to.

I used an app called Artrooms to create a virtual gallery setting, and also used digital interiors to scale my work and show it in home settings. These also made great social media posts. I think this is a good way to reach a wider audience, as you can share an online show with friends around the world.

Overall, it has been a positive experience and is a great option for newer artists who don't yet have access to galleries or can afford to hire a space, there is nothing stopping you from exhibiting online! Ideally, I would suggest a combination of both, as there is something magical about getting up close to a painting and seeing the artist's process and struggle to reach the finished piece.

Even professional artists have bad days. Days where nothing appears to go right and you spend hours on something which is clearly not working. Do you carry on and see if it will improve? Do you cut your losses and let it go? These are difficult decisions to make, especially if you have invested time into a piece and it's not going well.

I once spent all night painting two large canvases, only to paint over them both at 6am. It was a hard decision to make, but I felt energised afterwards. Euphoric even. I managed to turn them both around in a matter of minutes, and set them off on a new path which resulted in two good paintings. I have a standard of what I am trying to achieve and I recognise when I feel proud of something and when I feel any kind of negativity towards a piece, then I must change it or let it go.

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.” -Cynthia Occelli

My colour palette has evolved over the years and mainly consists of blues and browns. Natures colours for seascapes and landscapes. My warm ultramarine blue complements my cool phthalocyanine blue. My raw and burnt siennas and umbers my staples. I get through a huge amount of titanium white. I never use black. Occasionally a rusty red or an ochre makes an appearance but not often. I try and keep my colour palette simple, neutral and calming. Reflecting my inner world.

I collect images for inspiration. These come from many different sources and I am always looking. I save them and look at them later. Sometimes a colour or colours inspire a whole painting.

I am always improving, striving to get better. It takes a lot of work as the process cannot be rushed but I can see differences to what I made six months ago.